Nowadays, if the word “lingerie” is mentioned, we immediately think of sexiness, sophistication, passion, and even eroticism. We usually imagine brassieres, panties, corsets and nighties made of black or red lace. If we are asked, the purpose of women’s fine lingerie is to make women feel sexy, and confident about their bodies.

However, fine lingerie was not really invented for this purpose. Lingerie was invented basically for the purpose of shape, hygiene and modesty. In the mid 1800’s and early 1900’s, lingerie was bulky and uncomfortable. Corsets, which were worn to support the breasts and to have a slimmer waistline, were known to be excruciatingly painful because it can make breathing hard. It definitely needed getting used to. Though it was considered fashion, most women hated wearing it.

Later on, the corset was replaced by the more favorable girdle because of its elasticity. The girdle was made of garter and it was comfortable to wear. In the 1960’s, the pantyhose was introduced. The pantyhose was a combination of the panty and the stockings. Though there are still corsets being manufactured and sold today, the girdle and the pantyhose are more popular.

The most popular forms of lingerie are the brassiere, more commonly known as bra, and the panty. The bra was said to have been invented by Olivia Flynt in 1876, when she obviously saw the need for bust support. She also acknowledged the purpose of a corset, which is to improve appearance. But unlike the corset which changes the natural form of the specific woman who wears it by slimming her waist and enhancing her bust, she wanted to “enable the beauty of form”, as she wrote in her patent.

Nowadays, there are all kinds of bras, some are for “enabling the beauty of form”, and some also change the bust appearance. There are maximizers for women with small chests, minimizers for big-busted women, push-up bras for women who wants to lift their bust and enhance them just like what corsets did, sports bras for women who are active in the outdoors, and others.

Panties were invented solely for the purpose of hygiene and protection. They were fuller, baggier and not at all sexy, not like the panties of today which only cover the barest of essentials. Remember that in the past it was unheard of to be seen in your undergarments; this is why earlier versions of panties were unattractive and baggy. Later on in the twentieth century, panties got smaller and the idea of being seen in public wearing only panties and bras became more common.

Glossy fashion magazines started introducing lingerie in their ads at the beginning of the twentieth century. It became fashionable to wear certain types of lingerie. This also led to the development of different lingerie forms such as night gowns or nighties, camisoles, chemises, g-strings, thongs and garter belts. The purpose is basically the same, for comfort, protection and hygiene, but also to improve one’s confidence. Undoubtedly, most women today wear certain kinds and brands of lingerie to feel beautiful and sexy. From bulky and unattractive to desirable, women’s fine lingerie has certainly come a long way.